The Cloghttp://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/
The Clog, a blog on all things I-5 construction, will be your one-stop shop during the closure. It offers the latest news and updates, tips on alternate routes and transit, maps and gives you a chance to share your tales from the road. Check back for updates and read what others are saying.
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enCopyright 2009Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:18:24 -0800http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.01http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssWet roads not slowing drivers; construction moves aheadWeather not slowing drivers

With only two lanes open to traffic for the duration of the project, they are encouraging drivers to use alternate routes, ride the bus or train, carpool, vanpool, work from home, postpone or alter trips and shift their schedules.

I left my house in North Auburn at 6:25 a.m. to catch the 6:52 a.m. train at Kent Station to King Street Station. Traffic was heavy through Auburn and Kent on Auburn Way North and Central Avenue, so I made it to the train station five minutes later than usual. I was able to catch the 6:52 a.m. train. Only a few people were left standing in the first car from Kent to King Street Station and it seemed less crowded than yesterday. The train arrived on time and I was able to catch my bus, Metro #70, to the downtown Seattle office and made it to work on time.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/17/one_rider_sounder_seemed_less.htmlFri, 17 Aug 2007 08:17:10 -0800I-5 clogging; alternate routes urgedTraffic is piling up on Interstate-5 in the construction area south of downtown Seattle. Drivers are encouraged to take less-congested alternative routes such as Airport Way, Highway 99 or First Avenue.

With one less lane of traffic, drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes, ride the bus or train, carpool, vanpool, work from home, shift their schedules and plan ahead by using our alternate routes.

Drivers traveling in the far right lane will be diverted onto the collector-distributor roadway, which provides access to off-ramps to I-90, James St. and Madison St. but also reconnects with the I-5 mainline. Drivers using the collector-distributor will be able to stay in two lanes as they rejoin mainline I-5, unlike today's single lane.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/17/i5_clogging_alternate_routes_u.htmlFri, 17 Aug 2007 07:28:53 -0800Lanes reopended where brush fire caused -5 lane closures near SeaTacUPDATE, 5:00 p.m. -- Transportation crews have reopened all lanes of I-5 after a brush fire broke out next to the freeway near SeaTac.

The ramps at South 200th Street are still closed, but the flames have been put out, according to the Department of Transportation.

The transportation department closed up to two lanes of the freeway while SeaTac fire crews battled the blaze.

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Southbound traffic on Interstate 5 near SeaTac is backed up to Tukwila as emergency crews fight a brush fire on the side of the road.

Two lanes are closed, and Travis Phelps, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, says motorists should take alternate routes until the fire is out.

"This thing is kicking up a lot of smoke," Phelps said. "This backup might take a while to clear."

The fire stretches from South 188th Street to South 200th Street, said Virgina Mercado of the SeaTac Fire Department. Firefighters were also blocking Military Road to protect apartments on the corner of South 200th Street.

"It's terrible," said Mercado. "They don't even have visibility."

By Seattle Times staff

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/16/brush_fire_causes_i5_lane_clos.htmlThu, 16 Aug 2007 16:01:15 -0800Sound transit ridership continues to dropRidership on Sound Transit's trains continues to drop. While 6,719 commuters rode the train on Monday morning, the first work day of the Interstate-5 construction work that closed lanes of I-5, ridership has dropped throughout the week and only 4,815 people rode the train this morning. But that's still higher than the average ridership of 3,371.

by Susan Gilmore

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/16/sound_transist_ridership_conti.htmlThu, 16 Aug 2007 12:00:31 -0800Photo: A look at the expansion jointsThis picture was taken by John Hanna, a structural engineer overseeing the I-5 project. It is of one of the expansion joints that is being repaired:

Hanna had this to say:

We are ahead of schedule and the delays will soon be over and the roadway bridges will be safer than before. Please know that if it wasn't for the hard work performed by the union Ironworkers, this project would not be ahead of schedule. This coming labor day, when the I-5 freeway is open and safe, please take a moment to thank these dedicated tradesmen and women.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/16/photo_a_look_at_the_expansion.htmlThu, 16 Aug 2007 09:18:19 -0800Commuter train ridership dropsRidership fell this morning on the Sounder commuter trains, as hundreds of people apparently reverted to driving, and some possibly to express buses, to take advantage of the relatively uncrowded highways.

A total 4,956 people rode the five trains to Seattle, or got off in south-end suburbs, this morning. That's 864 fewer than Tuesday, and 1,763 fewer than the record 6,719 riders who filled the morning trains on Monday, the first weekday of the big I-5 project.

Still, the trains are still drawing a bigger crowd than usual; Sound Transit says that on a typical May weekday, 3,371 people took morning Sounder trips on the south-end line.

Transit spokeswoman Linda Robson said the trains will take on renewed importance Thursday morning, when a third lane closes on northbound Interstate 5 near Spokane Street, in the next phase of construction. She said there is plenty of space at four temporary park-and-ride lots that are going virtually unused: in downtown Kent, Sumner High School, the fairgrounds in Puyallup, and a Tacoma Dome surface parking lot.

Increased transit use is helping the region avoid severe gridlock, but greater numbers of commuters continue to bypass I-5 by detouring, canceling unnecessary trips, telecommuting, or taking time off work.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/15/commuter_train_ridership_drops.htmlWed, 15 Aug 2007 19:06:08 -0800I-5 ahead of schedule by 5 daysThe state Department of Transportation and contractor Concrete Barrier said today they are ahead of schedule on the Interstate 5 repair work and expect to finish work on northbound Interstate 5 in Seattle by 5 a.m. Aug. 25" five days ahead of schedule.]]>http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/15/i5_ahead_of_schedule.html
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/15/i5_ahead_of_schedule.htmlWed, 15 Aug 2007 14:03:35 -0800DOTS says thanks, remember to stay off I-5As the big Interstate 5 construction project enters its third weekday, transportation officials are hoping commuters will avoid what seems like a temptingly clear freeway.

For the second workday in a row, traffic volumes remained lighter than normal with minimal backups during the afternoon commute through the northbound I-5 construction zone. However, traffic volumes on I-5 and two key alternate routes increased over Monday's afternoon and early evening commute.

Compared to Monday, afternoon and evening volumes increased 10 percent on I-5 at Boeing Access Road, seven percent on SR 99 at the First Avenue S. Bridge and four percent on I-405 in north Renton.

"We need drivers to stay the course, or we'll be in for a very slow commute," said Mark Leth, traffic engineer for the state Department of Transportation (DOT), which is repairing and resurfacing a mile of the northbound freeway at South Spokane Street.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/15/dots_says_thanks_remember_to_s.htmlWed, 15 Aug 2007 06:45:00 -0800Pass the farebox, pleaseThis week's record crowds at the Elliott Bay Water Taxi made the boats late to leave West Seattle on Monday. So operators solved the problem by using a "mobile farebox," so people could pay while they waited in line to board.

It resembles a bus farebox, mounted on a metal stand and carried around by a wheeled handtruck, said Josh Gillanders, a water taxi boat captain.

Today, 401 people rode the water taxi downtown by 9 a.m., down from 587 trips on Monday. One theory is that many transit users stayed on buses, rather than transfer to the boat at Seacrest Marina, said Linda Thielke, spokeswoman for King County Metro Transit.

Farther south, Metro's express buses into Seattle attracted 300 to 400 more riders than the normal 7,300 or so, similar to Monday. Buses were delayed about six minutes because they detoured from I-5 onto other streets, Thielke said.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/14/pass_the_farebox_please.htmlTue, 14 Aug 2007 15:46:40 -0800Pinch point found, traffic light lengthenedAlthough the south Seattle commute remained mild this morning, the city Department of Transportation noticed a pinch point at the north end of the First Avenue South bridge, where Highway 99 and East Marginal Way South converge. (State traffic maps showed the area as "red," meaning heavy traffic.)

The intersection became congested enough that the city increased the length of its green signals northbound, said SDOT spokesman Gregg Hirakawa.

"This project still has many more days to go. People should not be complacent, thinking traffic is not a problem," he said. If everyone jumps back into a car, backups will occur, he said.

Two lanes of Interstate 5 remain closed as contractors resurface the northbound pavement near Spokane Street. A third lane could close as early as Thursday, if the construction continues to run ahead of schedule, state transportation officials have said.

So far, thousands of people have prevented gridlock by staying home from work, using transit, or taking different routes.

by Mike Lindblom

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/14/pinch_point_found_traffic_ligh.htmlTue, 14 Aug 2007 11:43:32 -0800No clog just yetThe scare tactics worked as commuters gave transit a try yesterday and a potential traffic nightmare turned into one of the easiest weekday drives of the year.

Despite the ease of this morning's commute, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. My fear is that people will say to themselves, "All of these warnings about construction-related traffic were much ado about nothing" and then resume their normal driving patterns. Then we'll get the clogged roads. Maybe it will happen tomorrow, maybe it won't happen until next week, but I'm sure it's coming...

The Monday morning commute went smoothly on northbound I-5 and alternate routes. WSDOT engineers estimate approximately 3,300 vehicles per hour on northbound I-5 south of downtown Seattle during the morning commute, which is about half of average Monday morning traffic volumes.

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http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/theclog/2007/08/13/half_number_of_regular_drivers.htmlMon, 13 Aug 2007 15:32:04 -0800Taking in the "scenery" on the morning commuteCommuter Jen Rittenhouse had an interesting angle on her commute today:

Calling at single ladies! I-5 construction got you down? Dreading the early morning wake up to catch the Sounder? It might be worth your while to get your beauty rest and spend a few extra minutes primping in the wee hours of the morning...riding the wave this a.m. were young, handsome and potentially single men by the car ful! Construction workers, and businessmen and bicyclists...oh my!